Review of Observe and Report (2009) by Jimf — 12 Apr 2009

I didn't expect to see a comic version of "Taxi Driver" at the multiplex, but I'm glad that Jody Hill, in true 1970's spirit, decided to make one. "Observe and Report" is painfully funny, the pain coming from the knowledge that the psychosis at the heart of the central character's actions are both real and increasingly commonplace, while the humor derives from Hill's ability to send up our expectations of the usual irrelevant nonsense.

The film ultimately doesn't have any grand meaning, except perhaps to say that the violence that's constantly recycled in bad and meaningless action films is probably a lot more meaningful to the people watching it than most of us would care to admit.